Valve handle



July14,1936. S -J PODOLSKY- 2,047,703

VALVE HANDLE Filed May ll, 1932 l/vveniow Judo?) Podo 55kg Patented July 14, 1936 UNi'rs s'rarss 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to stem-turning devices, and more particularly to handles and the like for turning valve stems.

According to present-day practice, the valve handle is xed to the valve stem in the factory, and the parts are then sold as a unit in the trade. When the handle becomes broken, it becomes necessary either to find anew handle to match the stem, or else to discard both elements and purchase a new co-mbination of handle and stem. The rst alternative is attended with difficulties because, the parts not being completely standardized, no one handle that is available in the stores will t all valve stems; so that it becomes necessary to keep in stock a very large assortment of shapes and sizes. Even when the proper shape and size happens to be in stock, furthermore, it frequently happens that it will not fit the valve stem because of Wearing down of the parts. 'I'he second alternative, therefore, is more often resorted to. It is, furthermore, frequently desirable to remove the handle from the stem, so as to prevent unauthorized turning of the latter, and this, too, is not convenient with most present-day constructions.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a new and improved device for turning stems.

A further object is to provide a new and improved device for turning valve stems.

Another object is to provide a single handle or other turning device that shall be readily adapted tothe turning of a large number of diierent valves or other stems.

Still another object is to adapt any of a large number of standardized handles for use with a single stem; or, conversely, any of a large number of stems for use with a single handle.

Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter, it being understood that it is intended, by suitable expression in the claims, to express all the novelty that the invention may possess.

The invention will now be explained in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of a valve handle embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken upon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a perspective View, showing the parts separated, for clearness; and Figs. 4 to 6 are views of modifications.

A rotary stem 2 is shown provided with a handle 4 for turning the same. This handle may be of the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, or it may take any other form, such as a soap dish 6, shown in Fig. 4. The stem 2 is ordinarily provided with a polygonal top 8 adapted to be received in a correspondingly shaped socket or opening I0 provided upon the underside of the handle. It is necessary, therefore, to keep in stock as many dierent 6 handles with correspondingly shaped sockets Iii as the stems 2 are provided with tops 3,

. According to the present invention, however, a single handle 4 or t may be utilized in connection with all stems 2 of different sizes in use. To bring about this result, a cubical member I2 is shown in Figs. 1 to 4 provided with a cylindrical or other conventional shaped, oversized socket I4 within which may be received loosely the top 8 of the stem 2. A set screw i6 may be threaded into a threaded opening I8 of the member i2 and against the top 3 of the stem 2. That wall of the socket I4 through which the set screw I0 extends will naturally become spaced from the oppositely disposed wall of the stem 2, except in the rare instances when the stem 2 exactly fits the socket I4. The top 8 is thus received in the socket I4 and becomes fixed to the member I2 by the set screw I6. If the top 8 is non-circular, as shown more particularly in Fig. 3, the parts will be held together very rmly.

Though the socket i4 is shown cylindrical, the effect of this cylindrical form becomes lost by reason of the set screw I6 so that, in effect, the socket I4 and the top S of the member 2 are-pro- 'vided with non-circular portions cooperating with each other to hold the parts together. The top 8 is shown in Fig. 3 as of polygonal or cubical form, and the socket I4 may be of corresponding polygonal form, if desired. 35

The member I2 being of the same polygonal or cubical shape as the socket I0 in the handle 4 or 6, the combination of the handle 4 or 6 and the cube I2 may be used in connection with a Very large number of different sizes and shapes of tops 40 8 for the stem 2. Indeed, the member I2 and the stem 2 may be regarded as in eiect a single stem having a constant size and shape of top 8 for cooperating with but a single corresponding size and shape of socket I0 in the handle 4 or 6.

The handle 4 may be secured against accidental displacement from the member I2 by means of a collar 20 loosely mounted upon the stem 2 and having external threads 22 for cooperating with internal threads 24 provided upon the handle 4. In this manner, the polygonal exterior member I2 is detachably held xed in position in the polygonal interior socket IllV without accidental displacement, the parts cooperating to permit turning of the stern 2 by the handle 4.

The opening I4 may be so designed as to receive a very large number of diferent sizes and shapes of stem 2, either with one or a plurality of set screws I6. A single member l2 may thus cooperate With a large number of stems 2. If desired, however, a number of separate cubical members l 2, such as shown in Fig. 3, may be provided, of diierent sizes and shapes, and having the same or different sizes and shapes of socket opening I4 in one face thereof. A single cubical member may, on the other hand, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, have in each face thereof a socket for receiving a stem of a particular shape and size. In this manner, the same cubical member l2 may be adapted to cooperate with six diierent sizes and shapes of stems. In such case, the sockets in the cubical member l2 may be polygonal, as shown in Fig. 5, cylindrical, as shown in Fig. 6, or of any other desired size and shape. Further modications will occur to persons skilled in the art and all such are considered to fall Within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A device of the class described for use in association with stems of diierent sizes and having a cubical member having in each face thereof a socket for receiving one of the stems, and a member having a socket provided with four Walls corresponding in shape to four walls of the cubical member for receiving the cubical member, the Walls of the cubical member engaging corresponding walls of the second-named member to prevent relative turning movement of the members.

2. A device of the class described for use in association with stems of different sizes and having a member in the form of a parallelopiped having in each face thereof a socket for receiving one of the stems, a memberl having a socket provided with walls corresponding in shape to the Walls of the parallelopiped for receiving the rstnamed member with the Walls of the parallelopiped in engagement with the Walls of the socket, means engaging the parallelopiped and the second-named member to hold the parallelopiped in the socket.

3. A handle for use in association With rotary stems of different sizes and having a cubical member having in each face thereof a socket for receiving one of the stems, a handle having a socket provided with Walls corresponding in shape to the four walls of the cubical member for receiving the cubical member with the said four Walls of the cubical member in engagement With the said corresponding Walls of the socket, means engaging the cubical member and the handle to hold the cubical member in the socket.

4. A device of the class described for use in association with stems of different sizes and having a cubical member having in each face thereof a socket for receiving one of the stems, and a receptacle having a socket provided with walls corresponding in shape to the four Walls of the cubical member for receiving the cubcal member with the said four walls of the cubical member in engagement with the said corresponding Walls of the socket, means engaging the cubical member and the receptacle to hold the cubical member in the socket.

5. A device of the class described for use in association with stems of diierent sizes comprising a member provided with an oversized socket for receiving the end of any of said stems, the said member being provided with adjustable means for clamping the said end against movement in the socket between the adjustable means and a Wall of the socket, a member having a sleeve in which the rst-named member is adapted to be received, means for preventing relative rotary movement of the members but permitting their relative movement in a direction longitudinal of the stem, and means for locking the members against relative movement in the said direction longitudinal of the stem.

6. A device of the class described for use in association with stems of different sizes comprising a member provided with a socket for receiving the end of any of the said stems, the said member being provided with adjustable means for clamping the said end against movement in the socket, a handle member having a sleeve in which the first-named member is adapted to be received, the rst-named member and the sleeve having cooperating portions for preventing relative rotary movement of the rst-named member and the handle member but permitting relative movement of the rst-named member and the handle member in a direction longitudinal of the stem, and means for locking the first-named member and the handle member against relative movement in the said direction longitudinal of the stem.

JACOB PODOLSKY. 

